| Print on demand (P.O.D) publishing has exploded in | | | | pocketing all royalties on each book sold. |
| recent years thanks to the internet and hungry | | | | Well I have to admit that I have a personal |
| writers out there anxious to see their work in | | | | reason for writing this article for I'm one of |
| print. In the wake of not being able to get a | | | | AuthorHouse's many victims. Instead of honoring |
| contract with a 'legitimate' publisher these POD or | | | | the agreement we made where I would get 50% |
| vanity publishers as they are sometimes referred | | | | on each book sold they've opted to lie to me say |
| to have filled a void for writers who want to get | | | | I haven't been selling any books yet I see about |
| their work to the people themselves. Many | | | | forty different stores on-line carrying my books. |
| famous authors started out that way | | | | Okay, so I send them a letter and tell them to |
| from James Joyce to E. Lynn Harris and they | | | | stop selling my book or making it available SINCE |
| went on to be huge literary stars. Many though | | | | IT'S NOT SELLING ANYWAY according to them. |
| did not have the good fortune to go on to the big | | | | Thus far my book is still available and being sold |
| leagues as these two did and their work were | | | | by them even though our agreement ended in |
| relegated to the shelves of sympathetic friends | | | | 2006! I sent the same request to Xlibris (who is |
| and relatives never to go further. That is until | | | | owned by AuthorHouse) and they are doing the |
| now. | | | | same even though our agreement ended a few |
| It used to be with self-publishing that you would | | | | months ago. It is sad to think that they either feel |
| contract out with a printer and have so many | | | | that people are such fools that they will believe |
| copies of your book printed and then you would | | | | this nonsense or that they feel they are so |
| try to sell the works yourself. This was a | | | | powerful that they have nothing to fear from the |
| cumbersome deal requiring you to cough up a lot | | | | likes of me and other authors who they are |
| of money to buy so many hundreds of copies | | | | cheating. And then too I've heard that to keep |
| because the printer wouldn't do it otherwise. So | | | | authors from finding out how much money their |
| in the end you may buy yourself a lot of | | | | works are earning when major publishers contact |
| inventory that you couldn't sell. Then too there | | | | them about authors of books they are interested |
| were the vanity publishers who supposedly would | | | | in they chase them away with crazy demands |
| try to sell your book and would try an squeeze | | | | and the author never hears about it for the |
| you for every penny they could because they | | | | major publishers naturally assume that |
| never truly intended to make any money off of | | | | AuthorHouse will notify their authors of their |
| selling your book; they intended to make it off of | | | | offers. They don't know that AuthorHouse isn't |
| you. There were all kinds of costs you had to | | | | even supposed to do that for often they are not |
| pay for advertising, special deals, presenting your | | | | the official representative of any of their authors. |
| work to a legitimate publishers, any angle they | | | | I know they're not mine and so if the majors |
| could dream up to squeeze more duckets out of | | | | contacted AuthorHouse or Xlibris about any of |
| you. That all changed though with the world wide | | | | my work, they never told me. It's a shame what |
| web and the relatively cheap methods of print on | | | | greed can do to some but I have to stop and |
| demand publishing which allows that they don't | | | | figure why they got into the business in the first |
| have to keep any inventory available. | | | | place; their intent in the beginning was to play a |
| Now the world wide web enabled vanity publishers | | | | shady game on those who had aspirations to be |
| the option to do what they couldn't and wouldn't | | | | successful authors and their still doing it, only this |
| do before; they could seek out markets | | | | time they're making more money. MUCH more |
| throughout the world for the inventory they had | | | | money! |
| with little expense. No longer did they have to fly | | | | The attorney general of Inidiana is investigating |
| to England (not that they ever would) to start up | | | | AuthorHouse because of all the complaints he's |
| a promotional campaign for a new book they | | | | gotten about them (mine included) and I can only |
| were trying to sell. They could advertise over the | | | | hope that when his investigation is over some of |
| web and sell to anyone with computer access in | | | | us authors will see some of the money we are |
| England, France, Germany, and as far away as | | | | owed by AuthorHouse/Xlibris. I'm believing God will |
| Japan! They didn't have to go anywhere to | | | | shut down the crooked operations of companies |
| advertise their inventory, they just had to | | | | like AuthorHouse because it is not right that both |
| advertise on the computer which has taken the | | | | books I spent over a year writing are selling in |
| world by storm and the ready audience for | | | | markets they believe I can't tap and they will not |
| something new and different would beat a path | | | | honor any agreement they've made as far as |
| to their door. With the advent of the web | | | | remuneration of royalties is concerned. It's my |
| companies like AuthorHouse, Xlibris, iUniverse, | | | | hope that the other P.O.D.'s out there aren't like |
| and others saw their profits quadruple overnight | | | | AuthorHouse/Xlibris, but then who is to say. All I |
| for with inexpensive production methods and | | | | really know is that they won't pay me the money |
| cheap advertising on the web they saved lots of | | | | owed to me claiming that no books are being sold |
| money as they made it. They also saved money | | | | yet they keep SELLING my books even after I |
| in other ways too like in not living up to the | | | | asked them to stop. Now does that sound like a |
| agreements they made with their customers and | | | | book that's not selling? |